Your surgeon might have told you that LASIK provides a perfect, lasting solution to eye problems. Well, that might be very true, but not the whole truth. You don’t just get an ideal vision after LASIK automatically without the aid of some medical treatments afterward. That’s where the remaining truth lies.
In case you don’t know, let me be the one to reveal to you that there are certain things your ophthalmologist will encourage you to start doing immediately you come back from the LASIK eye surgery center. Now, that doesn’t mean LAIK is not potent or effective enough; we call it aftercare.
Like every other medical treatment, your ophthalmologist would have to prescribe medicated eye drops for you to use after LASIK to aid a quicker recovery. That is part of the necessary aftercare process.
Meanwhile, you must be very careful to adhere to the instructions for use as prescribed by your ophthalmologist. Else, you would end up rendering the effects of the LASIK futile. Not only that, inappropriate use of eye drops after the LASIK procedure can pose more damage to your eye.
So, what are the necessary steps you need to take when applying medicated eye drops to your eyes after LASIK? Read on to uncover the secret. You can read about How Often Does LASIK Need to be Redone? by clicking here.
Visit Your Ophthalmologist First for a Detailed Explanation
As you might have known, self-medication is dangerous as it can put you at the risk of facing severe health complications. So, before you apply eye drops after LASIK, your very first step is to visit your ophthalmologist for a proper explanation of how and when to use it.
After your ophthalmologist might have given you the prescribed eye drops, he would have to provide you with the directions regarding how to administer the eye drops appropriately. Make sure you listen carefully to the rules and instructions of your ophthalmologist so that you can do it as expected in his absence.
During the explanation, you must ask direct questions whenever you miss the real point to be clear enough on the details. One of the essential questions you need to ask is why you are using those eyes drops. You need to know if you are using those drops to reduce pain or inflammation? When you have answers to that question, you will learn to avoid post-surgery complications. You will also understand why aftercare is essential to your post-surgery success.
Your ophthalmologist will also make you understand all the things you will experience while using the eye drops. In most cases, you may have to undergo a slight stinging sensation on your eyes. In some other instances, your vision would be a little bit blurry after you might have applied the drops. When you know what to expect after instilling, your mind will be at rest, knowing fully well that you will be fine after some time – No surprises, no fear.
After the explanation, the doctor would then give you some practical demonstration on how to apply the drops precisely. The aim is to show you the entire administration process, so don’t be shy to ask every critical question at this juncture to ensure a better understanding. You may even have to repeat the steps after the doctor to ensure clarity.
Still, to help you get the procedure, your doctor would have to issue a written instruction that contains everything he has explained orally. If the doctor doesn’t provide the written education, feel free to ask. The reason is that you can easily forget whatever the doctor has said during the in-office demonstration when you get home.
The written instruction is always a short write-up containing probably a page or two. The doctor would make sure the instruction is brief and concise enough as long, wordy write might seem too cumbersome to understand.
Here are some essential instructions for instilling eye drops at home?
- It is safer to be on your seat to achieve a perfect balance. While sitting, make sure you tilt your head backward to look at the ceiling at a right angle. This positioning will make it easier for the drops to enter your eyes at the first drop.
- Open the eye drop bottle cover. Hold the dropper over your eye when the bottle is open, and make sure your eye is wide open. Make sure you don’t touch the dropper’s tip with your fingertip or anything else.
- Pull down the eyelid with your finger and keep it open for easy contact with the eye drop substance.
- Bring the dropper closer to your eyes as much as possible and make sure the dropper doesn’t touch your eye, eyelashes, or eyelid. You have to be very careful that your eye is safe from the dropper to avoid contamination.
- Squeeze the dropper carefully to allow the drop from at the opening tip of the dropper. Your primary aim here is to make sure you release only one drop of the substance into the lower part of your eyelid.
- Release your lower eyelid gently and close your eye for about 30 seconds. Most people tend to ignore this part based on research, but it is essential. When you close your eye after the drop enters the pocket of your eyelid, you allow the eye drop to circulate evenly in your eye. Most people prefer to blink their eyes several times after the drop contacts their eyes, but it doesn’t. It only makes the medication flow out of the eyes, making the entire aftercare effort futile. It is better to close your eyes for a few seconds after the drop enters to allow it to work perfectly.
- Unless the doctor instructed otherwise, do not release more than a drop of the fluid into your eyes. The cul-de-sac in your eye can only contain 1/6 of a drop. Hence, applying more than a drop amounts to a waste of time.
- After use, make sure you firmly return the cover of the eye drop and tightly close the bottle.
Finally
You must know that good hygiene is key to an effective aftercare procedure. Make sure to keep your hands clean whenever you want to apply the medicated eye drop into your eyes. It is recommended that you thoroughly wash your hand with an antimicrobial solution before administering eye drops. Proper hygiene makes the whole effort effective. Visit https://lasikinlittlerock.com/things-to-keep-in-mind-before-going-for-cataract-surgery/ to read about Things to keep in mind before going for cataract surgery.
